3050 NE Third Street - Prineville, Oregon 97754 - www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
For immediate release: October 24, 2012
Contact: Lisa Clark
(541) 416-6864
Prineville BLM Proposes John Day River Boater Fee
Central Oregon – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Prineville District Office is
proposing a new boater special recreation permit fee (SRP) for the Wild and Scenic sections of
the John Day River between Service Creek (River Mile 157) and Tumwater Falls (River Mile
10). The fee would apply to day and overnight trips (floats) during the peak use season of May 20
to July10 and would begin in 2014.
Currently, there is no fee to obtain a permit to float the John Day River. With this proposal, BLM
is analyzing three fee options: a continued “no fee” option, a $10 option (reduced services) and a
$15 option (full services). The proposed fees would be per person per launch, for an overnight
trip up to 14 days in length, or half the rate per person per launch for a day-use trip. These fees
would not apply to people using the 1-mile stretch at Priest Hole or for playing around in inner
tubes, fishing float tubes, air mattresses, or similar devices.
BLM is considering implementing boater SRPs to maintain the services that users expect and to
add improvements, such as adding garbage dumpsters and improving boat launches. Increased
funding will help protect and enhance the outstanding remarkable fish habitat and recreation
values of the Wild and Scenic River through continued monitoring, cleanup and safety.
If the BLM does not add a fee, the agency would continue to maintain all the existing vault toilets
and launch sites, although river float patrols and cleanup would be reduced from 64 to 16
workdays. Visitors could expect a 50 percent reduction in law enforcement, less ability to assist
County officials in emergency response, and no patrols below Cottonwood Bridge. No dumpsters
would be installed at Clarno and Cottonwood and there would be no funding to maintain or
improve boat launches. For visitors who don’t think a reduction in service would be noticeable, as
an example of current service, BLM staff cleaned up over two tons of garbage that accumulated in
just six weeks at Priest Hole this year.
Although the fee wouldn’t begin until 2014, we are asking for public opinions now. We’d like to
hear more than just a “vote” for or against a fee. The public can help us by telling us reasons for
supporting or objecting to a fee, or how they’d like to see a fee used. BLM is also working with
our Resource Advisory Committee (a local committee that can advise the BLM on land use
decisions), our local counties, and our State to come up with a recommendation and decision for
fees.
3050 NE Third Street - Prineville, Oregon 97754 - www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville
Comments on this fee collection proposal by any of the following methods:
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E-mail: [email protected] with "fee proposal" in the title
Fax: 541-416-6798
Mail: Prineville District BLM, Attn: John Day Fee Proposal, 3050 N.E. 3rd
Street, Prineville, Oregon 97754.
More information and copies of the fee proposal are available in the Prineville Field Office at the
above address and online at http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/johnday/boat-fee.php
About the BLM: The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land – the most of any Federal agency. This land,
known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also
administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and
other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000
American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly
$5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use
mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future
generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral
development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at
any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
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